This November, we’re highlighting books that offer guidance, comfort, and insight for anyone navigating a cancer diagnosis. From personal memoirs and reflective essays to expert advice on integrative care, these titles provide practical tools, emotional support, and perspectives to help patients and caregivers find resilience and comfort.

Find these titles at your local library, or bookstore, or on the Libby app for a chance to read them for free. 

1) Cancer Is Complicated: And Other Unexpected Lessons I’ve Learned by Clea Shearer

In this candid memoir, Clea Shearer shares her personal journey through cancer, exploring the emotional, social, and practical challenges she faced. With honesty and humor, she reflects on the lessons she learned about resilience, vulnerability, and the unexpected ways life can change. 

2) No Cure for Being Human: (And Other Truths I Need to Hear) by Kate Bowler

Historian and cancer survivor Kate Bowler delivers a collection of essays that confront the realities of illness, mortality, and modern life with wit and empathy. She examines the tension between hope and acceptance, reminding readers that some challenges can’t be “fixed” but can be met with grace and honesty. This book resonates with anyone looking for clarity and compassion in difficult times.

3) Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May

Katherine May explores the metaphor of “wintering,” periods of rest, withdrawal, and introspection during life’s hardships. Drawing on personal experiences and nature’s cycles, she shows how slowing down and embracing stillness can lead to renewal and growth. This reflective book is ideal for readers coping with illness or life transitions.

4) Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb

Psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb offers a deeply human look at therapy from both sides of the couch: her patients’ and her own. Blending humor, empathy, and insight, she explores the struggles, fears, and triumphs of confronting life’s difficulties. This book provides hope and perspective for anyone facing personal challenges.

5) Taking Care of the Whole You by Society for Integrative Oncology and CancerChoices

This free, patient‑friendly e-book was authored by a team of medical experts, patient advocates, and cancer survivors, including Outcomes4Me’s Director of Business Development Terri Crudup, to help patients and their loved ones understand integrative oncology. It explores how evidence‑based complementary practices (like acupuncture, nutrition, movement, and mindfulness) can support conventional cancer treatments. It also offers guidance on how to find integrative practitioners and how to communicate with your cancer care team about these therapies.

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